Good day all
This weekend is going to be a busy one with many events planned all over the country and in Botswana. The Makgadikgadi Epic starts today and will last until 16 July.
After last year’s amazing event, this year’s event is going to be even bigger and better. With a year after year track record of delivering all the large tailgate aircraft promised, Botswana Defence Force are again committed to this event. World class organising is also confirmed.
For those who prefer to stay in their aircraft while in flight Nylstroom is the place to be this weekend, especially if you fly a Taildragger.
The 10th and last Nylstroom Taildraggers will be happening from Friday to Sunday. If you’ve been there before you will know it’s not an event to be missed. As from 2020 the Taildraggers will have a new home in Warmbaths.
All the Pilots and Navigators planning on representing South Africa in the World Rally Flying Championships next year in Stellenbosch there will be a Fun Rally hosted by SAPFA at Hoedspruit Civil airfield on Saturday with a training session on Friday evening. This open to all teams at any level and is a great day of flying fun.
Jack Taylor Airfield in Krugersdorp will be a hive of activity on Saturday with the annual Krugersdorp spot landing competition and Airfield Festival
There will be Mass Aircraft Static Displays, Heli Flips, Craft Stalls, Vintage Vehicles, Food Stalls, Raffles and lots of great Prizes to be won.
Engineers fly first-ever plane with no moving parts
A team from MIT is working on developing ionic wind thrusters as an energy-efficient, low-emission alternative to conventional propulsion technologies like jet engines. The new thrusters would use ionic energy, which is created when a current passes between two electrodes. If one electrode is thinner than the other, it creates an air current in the space between them – and if a substantial voltage is applied, the device could produce powerful thrust without the need for fuel or motors.
Ionic wind thrusters have been discussed ever since the 1960's, but up till now they’ve been dismissed as impractical or suitable only for lightweight vehicles. However, the MIT research team now believes that the technology could potentially power commercial airlines.
Following a series of experiments, the MIT team announced that ionic thrusters could be more efficient than engines currently used in the aerospace industry. In their research, which was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, they stated that ionic wind thrusters could produce 110 newtons of thrust per kilowatt, while a jet engine would produce 2 newtons per kilowatt.
Steven Barrett, an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, added that ionic thrusters are silent and invisible in infrared, as they give off no heat.
“You could imagine all sorts of military or security benefits to having a silent propulsion system with no infrared signature,” says Barrett, who co-authored the paper with graduate student Kento Masuyama.
There is currently one thing blocking the future development of ionic engines – thrust density. Ionic thrusters depend on the wind produced between two electrodes, and the larger the space between the electrodes, the stronger the thrust. This means lifting a small aircraft and its power supply would require a very large air gap. The MIT team believe that this could be overcome by encompassing the entire vehicle in thrusters!
“Efficiency is probably the number one thing overall that drives aircraft design,” Barrett says. “Ionic thrusters are viable insofar as they are efficient. There are still unanswered questions, but because they seem so efficient, it’s definitely worth investigating further.”
Embraer’s “TechLion” E195-E2 Visits China, Kicking off the First Stop of its Global Demonstration Tour
Following its successful debut at the 53rd International Paris Air Show, Embraer’s newest Profit Hunter – the E195-E2 showcasing a stunning “TechLion” livery that covers the entire aircraft’s fuselage – will now begin its global demo tour. The first stop will be Xiamen, China, on July 8th, followed by several stops within China and Asia Pacific during the months of July and August. At each stop, Embraer will show the aircraft’s efficiency and quiet cabin. The E195-E2 is the largest of the three aircraft in the E-Jets E2 family.
“We are delighted to start the global demo tour of the E195-E2, the biggest aircraft ever developed by Embraer, with our Chinese customers,” said John Slattery, President & CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation. “Airlines will love the E2’s exceptional economics and efficiency, greater operational flexibility and unmatched passenger comfort. As the most efficient single-aisle jet in the market, the E195-E2 is the ideal aircraft for growing regional business and complementing existing low-cost and mainline fleets.”
“In 2018, the passenger volume of China Civil Aviation continued to grow at a double-digit rate, a 10.9% year-over-year increase. With the emergence of local requirements from second and third-tier cities, China has introduced a series of favourable policies to support the development of regional aviation. This will create great market potential for aircraft with up to 150 seats,” said Guan Dongyuan, Senior Vice President of Embraer and President of Embraer China. “We’re proud to keep pace with the growing industry, leading the regional market here with a nearly 70% share. Today, eight airlines operate 105 Embraer commercial aircraft in Greater China and Mongolia, which laid a solid foundation for adding the E2s to the market.”
In November 2018, the E190-E2 travelled almost half of China and successfully completed the demo tour by flying to 11 cities (including Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia) in 20 days. The aircraft returned in May of this year and flew from Xining to Yushu Batang Airport, which sits at an elevation of 3,950 meters above sea level.
“This time, we will bring the eye-catching ‘TechLion’ E195-E2 to give our customers here a first-hand look at its advanced technology features, e-enabled systems and Embraer-exclusive staggered seating layout in business class,” said Guo Qing, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for China, Embraer Commercial Aviation. “The E195-E2 can achieve competitive costs per seat like larger narrow body aircraft but with significantly lower costs per trip, which will enable carriers, especially low-cost carriers to explore additional secondary markets, further expanding network connectivity and bringing social benefits to the general public.”
In April, the E195-E2 received type certification simultaneously from three major world regulatory authorities – ANAC (the Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency), the FAA (U.S. Federal Aviation Administration) and EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency). The airplane will enter service with Brazil’s Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S.A. in the second half of 2019. Spanish airline Binter will also receive its E195-E2 later this year.
The E195-E2 is the most environmentally friendly aircraft in its class. It has the lowest levels of external noise and emissions. The cumulative margin to ICAO Stage IV noise limit ranges from 19 to 20 EPNdB, 4.0 EPNdB better than its direct competitor.
E195-E2 performance targets were to be similar to the E195 yet it carries more payload and burns 25.4% less fuel per seat. Its maximum range is 2,600 nautical miles (4,815 km) with a full passenger load, 600 nm more than the E195, and has three additional seat rows. Airlines may choose to configure the cabin in two classes with 120 seats or a single class with up to 146 seats.
Like the E190-E2, the E195-E2 has the longest maintenance intervals in the single-aisle jet category – 10,000 flight hours for basic checks and no calendar limit for typical E-Jet operations. This means an additional 15 days of aircraft utilization over a period of ten years compared to current generation E-Jets.
Embraer is the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial aircraft up to 150 seats with more than 100 customers from all over the world. For the E-Jets program alone, Embraer has logged more than 1,800 orders and 1,500 aircraft have been delivered. Today, E-Jets are flying in the fleet of 75 customers in 50 countries. The versatile 70 to 150-seat family is flying with low-cost airlines as well as with regional and mainline carriers.
Flyadeal cancels Boeing 737 MAX is this the beginning of a mass exodus?
Saudi Arabian low-cost carrier Flyadeal becomes the first airline to officially drop Boeing 737 MAX order. Flyadeal indicated that it will not proceed with its commitment for 50 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, choosing the Airbus A320neo aircraft instead.
Boeing lost a deal worth $5.9 billion with the cancellation of the provisional order by Flyadeal. In July 2019, the Saudi Arabian budget carrier announced an order for 30 A320neo aircraft and options for a further 20 A320neo family aircraft. The deliveries of the initial 30 aircraft ordered by its parent Saudi Arabian Airlines as part of its Paris Air Show deal, are scheduled from 2021. “This order will result in flyadeal operating an all- Airbus A320 fleet in the future,” a statement by the airline said.
Boeing declared the commitment of Flyadeal for 30 737 MAX jets on December 2, 2018. Now, according to Reuters, “We understand that Flyadeal will not finalize its commitment to the 737 MAX at this time given the airline’s schedule requirements,” a Boeing spokesperson said.
The reason to switch the order points out the two fatal 737 MAX crashes that killed a total of 346 people. Following the first airplane crash, which happened on October 29, 2018, Flyadeal expressed support for MAX jets via its official social media account on December 21, 2018. But the Saudi Arabian carrier kept its silence after the second airplane crash on March 10, 2019. Other airlines have expressed thoughts on the aircraft, including Oman Air and flydubai, who have both said an Airbus order is viable.
